Bello
FCTA bans farming activities, illegal markets on airport expressway
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has banned farming activities, street trading and illegal motor parks on fringes of the Umar Musa Yar’adua Expressway, leading to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, made this known when he led management team of the administration, political leaders and some traditional rulers to inspect various developments on the road axis on Friday in Abuja. Bello, who frowned at the bizarre conducts of residents constituting nuisance to the public, stated that no resident or organisation would be allowed to carry out any illegal activity on a major road leading into the nation’s capital city. He noted that while residents were encouraged to engage in legitimate economic activities to mitigate poverty and cont...
Kogi government expresses readiness to start coronavirus vaccination
The Kogi State Government has expressed readiness to start administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents. Earlier, Governor Yahaya Bello insisted that he would not allow his people to be used as “guinea pigs by vaccine manufacturers”. But the State Commissioner for Health, Saka Haruna, told journalists on Monday in a telephone interview that Kogi will receive doses of the vaccine on Tuesday ahead of the rollout. He also said the residents will be given “unhindered access to receive the vaccine”. Kogi is the only state yet to start administering the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to residents three weeks after Nigeria began its rollout. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency had attributed the delay to two factors – the state’s “concerns around the contradictory information about...
Niger governor decries level of corruption in Nigeria
The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has decried the level of corruption in the country’s political and economic environment, insisting that corruption is endemic in all the facets of the nation’s life. Speaking at a two-day ‘Get involved leadership’ training in Minna Wednesday, Governor Bello said: “The problem with Nigeria today is enormous, every sector is corrupted. There is no country that can develop with the level of corruption we have. According to the governor, “When you have a system where only limited or few people are transparent, the system can never work.” He submitted that as a result of the high level of corruption in the polity, political positions either elective or those appointed have always gone to the highest bidder, a development he described as unac...
Oyo rolls out coronavirus vaccination programme
The Oyo State Government on Wednesday joined other states across Nigeria to rollout the COVID-19 vaccination exercise. The state flagged off the exercise in Ibadan with the first consignment of 127,740 doses it received from the Federal Government. Gov. Seyi Makinde was inoculated with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at exactly 12.20 p.m. During the flag-off, Makinde said that the state had made decision on a sterility test of the vaccine as precautionary measure to ascertain its safety and efficacy. “I have very low tolerance for physical pain, but when duty calls you have to do what you have to do. “I am getting vaccinated today as a show of leadership and to let the people know that they have to be protected. “I ordered for sterility tests because when I asked questions about the origin of t...
NDLEA rues over shipment of illegal cargoes through Nigeria’s seaports
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has said some ships and their crew bring in illegal consignments from the port of origin into the country. NDLEA also hinted that the shipments are perfected by at the Nigerian end of the transaction by collaborators on arrival at the nation’s ports. Disclosing this in Lagos at the Joint Vessel Boarding Meeting held in Lagos, Assistant Area Commander, NDLEA, Mercy Thompson, noted that the recent drug seizure made at Tin-can Island Port by the Agency was also brought in the same way. She, therefore implored ship crew members to cooperate with representatives government agencies boarding vessels, while complaining that most times the ship captains and their crew refuse to come out to meet them while other times the crew are very uncooperative....
2023: PRP not joining Mega party – chairman
The National Chairman of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) says it has no plans to merge with any group or political party to form the proposed Mega Party ahead of 2023 poll. Mr Falalu Bello, National Chairman, PRP said this when he spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday. According to Bello, the party is not merging with any group. “We are not. That is not to say that we have not been invited. About 10 days ago, their secretary got across to me and advised me of the fact that we are invited to belong to the committee. “And I said let me have a formal invitation and what they stand for. I will go to my National Executive Committee, brief them, get their mandate for me or any other person to represent the party. “The party do not belong to me. PRP has its own leadership. “I have seen ...
CNG: Northerners should be wary of Yayaha Bello, Femi Fani-Kayode
The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has said that Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, fooled the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, AUFCDN, to suspend its strike action and resume supply of food items to the South. It also said northerners should be wary of the duo, who it accused of being driven by personal interests and not the interest of the North. The leading northern group said this in a statement by its spokesman, Suleiman Abdul-azeez, made available to newsmen today. The statement reads: “The Coalition of Northern Groups CNG is of the view that the conclusion to suspend strike action embarked by the cattle and foodstuff dealers under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN) was fo...
NDLEA seizes Tramadol capsules worth N50 million in Adamawa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 46.8 kilograms of suspected Tramadol capsules worth N50 million in Mubi, Mubi North Local Government area of Adamawa. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Idris Bello, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Yola. Bello said that the drug was seized in a house at Unguwan Madina, Mubi town. Bello explained that the command had also seized 82 blocks of compressed substance, weighing 79 kilogramme, believed to be cannabis sativa, popularly known as Indian hemp, in Lafiya-Lamurde in Lamurde Local Government area of the state. “The Adamawa Command of NDLEA, on Feb. 19, successfully arrested a suspect, with 225mg of Tramadol tablets, 100mg capsules and Diazepam tablets, all weighing 46.8 ...
Nigerian Army: Troops in pursuit of abductors of Kagara school staff, students
The Nigerian Army says its troops have been mobilised in pursuit of abductors of kidnapped members of staff and students of Government Science School, Kagara, Niger. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, announced this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Yerima said that the Nigerian Army had renewed efforts to ensure swift response to the unfortunate incident. He said it had been reported that the bandits gained entry into the school in the early hours of Wednesday and abducted unspecified number of members of staff and students of the school. “The Nigerian Army in line with its constitutional mandate wishes to reassure the public that troops in operational synergy with sister security agencies are in hot pursuit of the criminal elements to ensure safe return ...
2023: Group begs Yahaya Bello to join presidential race
As the preparations for Nigeria’s presidency in 2023 intensifies, a diaspora group known as Governor Yahaya Bello Solidarity Movement, has joined the voices calling on Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to join the race. Coordinator of the group, Joy Robinson, in a statement issued in Abuja said, that their decision to back the governor is because there’s need for what she called a competent, energetic, detribalised, progressive, courageous and a religious leader to oversee the affairs of the country. The group noted that anybody with such qualities would assist in taking the country away from the current social and economic problems facing the country, saying Bello possessed all these in addition to being a youth with a track record of performance. According to it, “After considerin...
FCT chief judge bows out service
The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Ishaq Usman Bello, on Tuesday bowed out of service on the attainment of 65 years of age. This is even as he declared in his speech at a valedictory court session held in his honour that the greatest strength of the judiciary remained the trust, reliance and faith of the people in it. Bello, who became the FCT CJ on May 28, 2015, said that in a democratic set up like Nigeria’s, the judiciary had to be impartiality. “I solemnly accept as true the saying that the greatest strength of the judiciary is the trust, reliance and faith of the people in it. “In several cases, I have seen the court take decisions against the state as well for the achievement of the ends of justice. I know this well because I have delivered some myself,” ...
2023: Kogi lawmakers endorse Yahaya Bello for the presidency
Less than one year into his constitutional four-year second tenure mandate as Governor of Kogi State, members of the Kogi State House of Assembly have called on Yahaya Bello to seek a higher office. The 25-member house made the unanimous call at plenary on Wednesday, 2 December, in Lokoja. Bello had on Tuesday presented a budget proposal of N130.5bn for 2021 to the lawmakers. The document was expected to gain attention of the lawmakers when they reconvened Wednesday. They however chose to delve into the uncertain waters of 2023 Presidential politics, asking the governor to throw his hat into the ring. The House in its plenary described Bello as fit for the office in view of his outstanding performances as Governor and in view of the fact that the North Central Zone has also not had the opp...
